Kuyper Celebrates Black History Month Chapel Service

At a moving, mid-February service in the Vos Chapel, in recognition of Black History Month, the Kuyper community considered what it means to be a Christian institution that stands for racial justice.

Pastor Darrell Delaney, a 2005 Kuyper graduate and a current member of the College’s Board of Trustees, reminded attendees that God desires harmony among all His creation.

“He created an environment of peace and unity, full of beauty and shalom, where nothing is missing and nothing is broken,” he emphasized. “But, unfortunately, it’s not far into the story that thorns and thistles show up.”

Racism, prejudice and all other forms of human discord can ultimately be traced back to the Fall, Delaney said. Anything that divides humanity was not part of God’s original design.

In fact, he added, God has always intended his people to be cross-cultural missionaries, spreading His truth far and wide. But sadly, we do not always live up to that expectation.

Turning to Micah 6:8, he highlighted a message that is still relevant to God’s people today.

“Micah is telling Israel it’s time to get back to what God says they should do, and that means acting justly, loving mercy and walking humbly with Him,” said Delaney.

He asserted that it is essential to honor God in this way because, if we don’t, he said, we can be corrupted by the weeds of prejudice and racism. Wherever we go, we should instead plant the seeds of God’s justice.

“We’re all called, like Micah, to sound the alarm when things are not right. When we see hungry people, we can feed them. If we witness discrimination, we need to call it out,” he told his listeners.

Delaney also pointed out that once we have planted these seeds, we must water them with mercy. This means extending grace to others and being open to receive other perspectives and experiences. 

Finally, walking humbly means that we approach all situations ready to learn from others and from God, he said. 

“Part of that is realizing that my culture isn’t the best, and yours isn’t the worst,” he added, smiling. “We have opportunities to learn from each other, cross culturally. We need to remember that we all have something to teach each other.”

If we truly follow God in these ways, Delaney believes, then the garden that God designed us to be a part of will flourish.

“One day, Jesus will return and do all the uprooting and planting to make things right again but, until then, we are called to act as He would. That means acting justly, loving mercy, and walking humbly,” he said.

With this message in mind, the Kuyper community engaged with the College’s Statement on Racism through responsive reading. The text of the Statement reinforced many of Delaney’s points, including:

• Racism runs contrary to the very nature of God’s creation. As Christians, we must condemn the racism and white supremacy that has done such harm in the world and the Church for centuries. 
• As Christians, we must also commit to doing our part to end racism, hatred, violence, and inequities and seek to cultivate justice for all.

Delaney shared his excitement for the impact that following the Statement’s guide will have on the Kuyper community.

“I’m looking forward to the creativity that’s going to come from living into this statement. We won’t get it perfect, but we will keep at it with God’s strength and power,” he said.